Adult patients' experiences after a distal radius fracture – a qualitative systematic review

Background Distal radius fractures are a common presentation in emergency departments. Synthesis of qualitative research of treatment, care and rehabilitation this fracture presents from the patient perspective could improve clinical practice and care. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesise the qualitative literature on patient experiences after sustaining a distal radius fracture. Methods We searched Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Psycinfo and CINAHL to identify qualitative studies published from database conception to May 2023. All studies were screened, extracted , analysed and quality assessed by two blinded reviewers. A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyse the findings from included studies. Results A total of 9 studies interviewing 160 unique patients were included. We identified 3 themes in relation to patient experiences after sustaining a distal radius fracture: 1) Concerns about dependency, 2) Fear and pain and 3) Motivators for recovery. The themes did not exist as sharply demarcated topics but were intertwined with patients reflecting that more information and knowledge could assist in managing expectations and the recovery period. Conclusion Our synthesis highlighted that adult patients with DRF experience a lack of information about the care and treatment inhibiting independence and successful management of expectations due to pain, fear and lack of motivation. Our findings can inform orthopaedic units and assist in tailoring information to patient needs.